This application is based on and claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 of German Patent Application 101 17 964.2, filed on Apr. 10, 2001, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a window casing and a window construction with such a casing for passenger cabins, particularly in a commercial aircraft. The casing elements are provided for at least one cabin window including an inner window pane and an outer window pane.
Conventional passenger cabin windows in a commercial airliner must be pressure-tight due to the pressure differential to which the aircraft body or fuselage is exposed during flight. It is quite common to use individually installed small outer windows in order to keep any weakening of the fuselage structure as small as possible. Such small cabin windows are, for example, disclosed in German Patent Publications DE 1,252,533, or DDR Patent Publication 23,321, or in U.S. Pat. No. 2,575,757.
German Patent Publication 1,252,533 (Hertel) discloses an aircraft cabin in a fuselage with an elongated window frame carrier that is integrated into the fuselage and carries a plurality of windows in a side by side arrangement. The windows are formed by two or three uninterrupted window pane bands that extend in parallel to each other and are supported by and secured to the elongated window frame carrier. The impression of a plurality of windows is provided by the struts that form part of the window frame carrier. The inner and outer window panes appear to be of equal size.
East German Patent Publication (former DDR) 23,321 discloses a double window for pressurized aircraft cabins, wherein the outer window pane is held in place by a spring elastic ring collar which in turn is fixed in place by the mounting of the inner window pane. The outer window pane surface area appears smaller than the inner window pane surface area since the ring collar forms a conical taper.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,575,757 (Hardy) discloses a window for pressurized chambers such as aircraft cabins. For safely accommodating a pressure differential between the inside and the outside of the cabin, two window panes are used. The space between the two panes is vented to the atmosphere. The outer pane is flush with the outer skin of the aircraft while the inner pane is vaulted either inwardly in compression or outwardly in tension. The window frame or casing and the seal of the panes in the frame is so constructed that the proper sealing of the inner panel is established by an excess pressure in the cabin.
Generally, conventional aircraft windows comprise an outer window pane and an inner window pane enclosing an intermediate space between the window panes. This intermediate space is surrounded by a window frame. The window frame is conventionally referred to as a window funnel because it tapers from the larger inner window pane outwardly toward the smaller outer window pane. The inner window pane having a larger surface area, is a portion of the passenger cabin inner wall and the spacing between the outer window pane having a smaller surface area, and the inner window pane has a fixed dimension which is given by the structural depth of the aircraft fuselage wall between the aircraft outer skin and the inner paneling of the passenger cabin. Due to the different surface area sizes of the inner and outer window panes a so-called funnel effect is created in conventional cabin window constructions, whereby the outer windows appear much smaller and create a confining effect on passengers. Further, conventional aircraft cabin windows have a single piece inner casing which prevents using more flexible window casing configurations inside the cabin. Moreover, such single piece inner casings create a uniform overall impression of the passenger cabin.
In view of the foregoing it is the aim of the invention to achieve the following objects singly or in combination:
to construct an aircraft cabin window casing in such a way that with the help of different variable window casing elements the configurational appearance of the window or windows and of the cabin interior can be changed with little effort and expense;
to avoid the conventional funnel effect which creates a confining space impression inside an aircraft cabin; and
to modularize the construction of aircraft cabin windows in such a way that the wishes of the buyer of a commercial airliner are more easily accommodated.
An aircraft passenger cabin window casing according to the invention comprises a plurality of modular window casing elements that together form a modular window casing unit preferably, but not necessarily having an upwardly open U-configuration, whereby a window frame funnel configuration in the form of a conically tapering collar or fairing is avoided. At least one lower casing element forms lower and lateral window frame components. Preferably, but not necessarily, at least one upper casing element closes the upwardly open casing unit upwardly toward a cabin ceiling. An upwardly open intermediate casing element also preferably having a U-configuration forms a window sill held in place by the at least one lower casing element which has an upwardly facing edge that forms a mounting for the window sill. The window sill in turn is positioned below at least one inner window pane. Preferably, the sill holds the inner pane in place.
According to the invention there is further provided an aircraft cabin window with at least one outer window pane and an inner window pane that has a surface area configuration different from a surface area configuration of the outer window pane. The panes are spaced from each other by a collar and surrounded by the present window casing, whereby a funnel shape is avoided for said collar.
It is a special advantage of the invention that the use of a plurality of window casing elements permits creating a generous optical space impression of the cabin space. A multitude of possibilities is opened for the construction of the lateral inner wall areas of the passenger cabin around and near the window. A window casing according to the invention permits flexibly accommodating customer requirements, whereby decor cabin modifications can be made at little extra effort and expense. The plurality of window casing elements can be shaped as decor components in accordance with the requirements of different aircraft models and different interior wall appearances, whereby different colors may be used. Since each of the plurality of window casing elements are modular elements that can be preassembled into smaller modular assembly units, it is now possible to install or replace window casing elements in a more efficient manner because these elements are more easily handled since individually the present casing elements are smaller than conventional aircraft window casings. Thus, the assembly effort and expense has been reduced.
It is preferred that at least two first casing elements are provided which are shaped to have a downwardly reaching extension that forms a cabin wall covering or panel below the window casing proper. Each of the two first casing elements has an upwardly reaching casing component extending laterally alongside the cabin window construction. The two first casing elements have a mirror-symmetrical configuration relative to each other.
The inner window panes now can have any desired shape or surface area configuration and are thus not limited to the area configuration or outline of the outer window panes of an aircraft cabin window. A window casing element or panel having a vertical orientation is preferably provided to separate two inner window panes that are surrounded by a common casing. The vertical casing element can thus, for example, cover a fuselage component such as a rib of the aircraft fuselage.